Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly called upon Washington to withdraw its cadre of U.S. military advisers from the northern Syrian enclave of Manbij, raising tensions over a possible conflict between American and Turkish forces.
Mr. Ergodan reportedly made the demand during a political rally for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), demanding the U.S. give Manbij “back to its true owners.”
“Over 90 percent of Manbij is Arab land. Why are you still there? Come on, get out,” the Turkish leader said, taking direct aim at U.S. military support for Syrian Kurdish paramilitary forces that Ankara claims are directly linked to Kurdish terrorist organizations.
“You are still telling us not to approach Manbij. We will come to Manbij to give it back to its true owners,” he added. His comments are yet another sign that Turkey is preparing to push its ongoing offensive against Syrian Kurds in the northwestern part of the country eastward, toward territory controlled by U.S. and coalition forces.
U.S. advisers have been based with their Kurdish and Arab counterparts since the fall of Islamic State in the country late last year.
Top U.S. military commanders, including Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel, have said the Pentagon is not considering any withdrawal of U.S. forces from Manbij or the larger eastern Euphrates River Valley.
Turkish troops crossed the country’s southern border into Syrian territory late last month, targeting the the majority Kurdish city of Afrin in northeast Syria. The incursion, dubbed Operation Olive Branch, sought to flush out fighters loyal to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG.
Large elements of the YPG or Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) make up the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the U.S.-backed confederation of Arab and Kurdish paramilitaries who flushed ISIS from its Syrian capital of Raqqa last year. U.S. forces continue to train and equip SDF fighters — including those tied to the YPG and PYD — in Manbij as the anti-ISIS offensive continues in Syria.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Sunday said U.S. forces in Manbij could be targeted by Turkish troops if they are spotted wearing YPG “uniforms,” should Ankara decide to expand operations into northwest Syria.
“If they come up against us in such a uniform we will see them as … terrorists,” he said at the time. U.S. forces enraged their Turkish counterparts in 2016, when several American special operations advisers based in Manbij were photographed wearing YPG insignia.
• Carlo Muñoz can be reached at cmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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